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IT IS A 4-MIDNIGHT TOUR IN THE 77TH PRECINCT IN BROOKLYNS NOTORIOUS BED-STUY (AT ONE TIME IN THE MID 70'S THE 77 HAD A YEARLY HOMICIDE RATE OF OVER 1200 PER YEAR.) ANYWAY, MY PARTNER ZEKE AND I ARE WORKING SECTOR IDA/JOHN AND HAPPENED TO BE AT THE STATION HOUSE VISITING WITH THE DESK SGT. ONE JOE DONOVAN-A COPS COP AND A GREAT SGT AND BOSS. ANYWAY AGAIN, DONOVAN NOTES THAT ZEKE AND I ARE DUE FOR MEAL HOUR IN FIFTEEN MINUTES AT 7PM SO HE DECIDED ZEKE AND I WOULD PROVIDE PIZZA'S FOR DINNER FOR US AND THE HOUSE(desk sgt, 124 man, inside security, the broom, ts man etc) SO OFF ZEKE AND I GO TO GET DINNER FOR THE BOSS. ENROUTE THE RADIO DISPATCHER CALLS OUT--In the 77th precinct we have a report of shots fired at such and such location- Zeke and I are 3 blocks away and and joined a flurry of responses pulling up right behind a brooklyn north task force auto - THE BUILDING IS A FIVE STORY APARTMENT BUILDING WITH FRONT TERRACES OVERLOOKING THE STREET AND A REAR COURTYARD WITH FIRE ESCAPES. YUP- YOU KNOW THIS IS COMING-as we get out of the cars we are greeted with a fusilade of gunfire from a fourth story apt and terrace both police vehicles take hits- Zeke is throwing back return fire while i dig out our one privately owned bulletproof vest throw it on in one practiced move and unload my two revolvers while Zeke is reloading. THE TASK FORCE GUYS CALL IN A 10-13 ASSIST PATROLMAN AND WE ARE AT WAR. zeke and i move thru the entryway to the rear courtyard to cover the fire escapes taking shots as we went-TPF,TASK FORCE, AVIATION, AT LEAST TWO OTHER PCT.S, DETECTIVES, THE DUTY CAPT.JOE VINCENT, two hour search apt to apt, another team, officers perry and randall captured the four gunmen assisted by ESU#8. AS ZEKE AND I ARE LEAVING THE SCENE, DRIVING BACK TO THE STATION HOUSE-ANTICIPATING THE HUGE AMOUNT OF PAPERWORK AND REPORTS THIS IMMENSE CASE WOULD STILL REQUIRE--WELL, we walk into the station house, clearly drained physically and emotionally after a major shoot-out and we are met by sgt. joseph donovan who damanded 'MIKE, ZEKE, WHERE ARE THE FUCKIN PIZZA'S?

P.S. Mike I´m going to have too go into my memory bank and pull up some juicy ones from the Bronx, we had some good and hot jobs in the 7th. divison...............

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CHARGES AND SPECIFICATIONS;#1-OFFICER MIKIESPLACE, while assigned patrol post #5 was in fact off post and found to be in the station house performing unassigned duties.Officer pleaded no contest and fined two days vacation.#2-Officer Mikiesplace did in fact use priority police communications in an unproper way and outside the guidelines and procedures of the department-Officer pleaded no contest and fined two days vacation.

It way 3:15 in the afternoon and i had been back from court for no less than ten minutes, Desk Sgt. assigned me to patrol post 5 for the remaining 15 minutes of my tour-tour changes were going on-desk officers were changing shift-ts(telephone/swithchboard) guy is handing out radios and doing the usual crap during change of tours and the ts phones are lighting up so i go and pick up t he line and answer an incoming call-

on the other end of the line is an elderly womans voice who tells me, very faintly and with broken breaths that she is the mother of one of my patrol sgts whom she lives with and believes she might be having a heartattack!

In 2 seconds i am behind the desk reaching for the uf10 (force records card) for said patrol sgt which is kept there for emergencies and notifications and I am on the red hotline phone to central

imagine sgt joes face when he heard this while on patrol

----base to central K, please advise the (not exactly sure of div- or address or pct so i'll fake it) 15th division that in the 106 precinct at such and such address we have a heart attack victim-mother of mof

I was there that i was notified by the communication sgt on duty that by my quick use of the pct hotline i had just happened to get the patrol sgt who was in the area plus citywide dispatcher overheard my call in the dispatch room and had an esu unit on scene seconds. Mother was transported via rmp to hospital where 106 sgt would stay and keep me informed mom was doing okay and would survive. However, there would be charges as to use of comms

Sgt Joe came flying thru the door 2 minutes later and we sent him off in a 4-12 rmp lights and sirens to the queens hospital

by the way, guess who just happened to be my evaluating sgt for that period in time

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In preperation for hurricane sandy, i had all the essentials ready to go, food, beer, wine, candles,water etc, i will admit i am sort of a prepper. I usually think what if? then i prepare for it. Got a well stacked bug out bag which i constantly adjust as to seasons and forcast threats etc. So while i am picking a few novels to read out of my collection just in case the power goes out and no policelink or veetle to entertain me, a piece of paper falls from one of the books, that paper is why i am writing this today:

It has been a while since i wore the uniform of the NYPD, My apartment, girlfriend,car, means of employment, clothing, weapons, identification,friends,habits and demeanor had all been sanitized of law enforcement. My landlord, neighbors, bar tender, girlfriend, guys who worked for me, guys i hung out with, they all knew me as a street guy, there was no link to law enforcement in my life, THANK GOD.

I had been working undercover against organized crime for some time, usually with members of the Gambino or Lucchese organized crime families, I had been making money with crews from both families but always kicking upstairs my tribute to B. Now i have written a little about B. in some other discussions and i will say he was a great guy, good earner, husband and father. He is also a mean, scary, deadly killer who, if, for any number of reasons, he decides you gotta go, you are gone, period. I had done some things with and for B. over a period of time. One time i had to straighten out some loud mouth wanna be who roughed up a waitress in B.s nightclub in brooklyn, taken care of. Provided a 2 man crew and a 22 foot truck i had bought with B.'s help for an evening to move, along with a few other trucks, alot of merchandise which had arrived in an inlet off a fishing trawler. I had escorted B. to a meet with a Gambino crew member in Howard beach queens where i was told to wait outside the car while the meet was held-(b. had told me if he did not exit the vehicle first, i was to kill the guy who did). I had driven B. here and there, we earned together, ate together and partied together.

I get a message from B. to meet him at a Clam shack bar in queens at 5PM on a given day. Upon arrival, the bar is kinda empty, just a couple working stiffs at the bar along with B. and one of B.s guys, a made Lucchese guy and real nasty killer, this guy liked to hurt people for fun. B. starts talking about this and that and then he comes up with"YA KNOW MIKIE, YA BEEN WITH US A WHILE, EARNING, ALWAYS AROUND, BUT WHO ARE YOU REALLY?"

What?

I wanna know about you. today, now, before we go any further, give me your gun. Its in the car, i says. Okay, forget it for now,

First he says, you are going to go into the mens bathroom over there with Annie the barmaid, and you are going to strip down to your skin, Annies a nice girl, she wont be embarrased, she's seen men naked before, If she finds anything that shouldnt be there, you will n ot leave this bar alive, now go. Annie and I enter the mens room and i strip as told, not so embarrasing, annie is a fine looking woman, today we refer to such as MILFs. I am clean and pass inspection. When i exit the bathroom i ask B. what is going on, why the search, and he tells me that it was time for me to pass inspection, so he could know all about me before i went any further in their thing. Next B. says, Lets get into your car and you take us to where you go to have a few drinks, to the bar where you hang out, where you are known. So off we go to my neighborhood where i have set up my apartment, the bar is about 5 blocks from the apt. B. his guy tommy sneakers and I enter the bar and restaurant and settle at the bar for a few drinks. During the idle conversations with the bartender, B. sees i am known there and my street reputation is solid. In fact B. asks the bartender about some illegal activity and the bartender shuts him up with a warning that he had better talk to his friend Mikie at the bar about such things. Mikie was a connected guy and not to be fooled with. Its now going on 7:30 at night and B. says, okay, now take me home. Home I says? i dont know exactly where you live. No, to your home, i want your wallet and lets go see where you live. So, we make the short drive to my apartment, which is the top 2 floors of a two family house in a quiet residential neighborhood. Ya gonna invite us in for a drink? B. says, and he and tommy come up and give my apartment the once over. While there, i couldn't have timed this better, my girlfriend shows up, madder than hell, I had promised to meet her at the mall at one of my bar hangouts, and take her to dinner. Now this woman is your typical psycho italian bitch. If you have seen the tv show mob wives, my girl was a spitting image to one of the women portrayed on the show, so much so that i watched that series often, over and over,sometimes feeling those animal urges and sometimes saying to myself, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??"Anyway, in comes this chick, whose father happens to be a Gambino family associate involved in bookmaking who i find out, while we are having drinks in my living room, had worked with B. on a few illegal casinos set up in jewish synagogues in brooklyn and queens. Hows that for bonafides? Me and my girl drive B. and tommy sneakers back to howard beach queens and have dinner together at a nice greek diner. After dinner, while we are leaving, B. pulls me aside and tells me to meet Tommy tomorrow here at the diner at 6am, and not to leave my gun in the car this time.

All my preperation as to my cover identity and life had passed inspection. The door to organized crime had opened a little bit more that day. m.

I get a phone call from gino, we gotta talk he says, and quick. Gino, a gambino soldier and childhood friend was always reaching out to me for one thing or another. Sometimes it was a scam or a job he wanted help with, sometimes it was to borrow cash or drive him to somewheres or back him up during a meet or some such thing. Nah, i'll pick you up in ten minutes, be outside your place. Ten minutes later Gino pulls up in front of my apartment in his triple white cadillac, white car, roof and interior. Lets go get a drink he says as i jump in his car and off we go. While we are driving Gino tell me that his boss, a captain in the family, has an interest in a niteclub owned by a jewish guy here in brooklyn and there is a problem at the bar which Gino has been told to handle. It seems that a NYPD Detective has been hanging out at this bar, usually weekend nights and hasselling the owner, trying to shake him down, hasselling the wiseguys who hung out there with their girlfriends, refused to pay his bar tabs, playing grab with the cocktail waitresses and generally putting a crimp in the clubs business and Gino has been told to find out who this Detective is and to make the problem go away. We pull up to this nightclub in brooklyn and it is really a nice place, probably 25plus stools at the bar, a line of tables near the wall and a back room with tables and a stage and dance floor. A real classy joint. We go into the bar and Gino meets the jewish owner and i am introduced and we sit down and the owner repeats all that Gino has told me but adds that this Detective alledgedly works at Headquarters in Manhattan, is a tall thin irish looking red headed guy, always wears suits with his jacket open and his gun sticking out from his belt holster and handcuff tucked into the back of his trousers. The owner tell us he tried to talk to a couple of the local cops to see if they could talk to this detective and have him back off but the cops from the local precinct would have nothing to do with trying to deal with a headquarters cop so the owner was forced to go to his silent partner, Gino's boss, and try to settle it. Gino tells the owner he would be back the upcoming weekend and see what could be done. Outside while wolfing down a slice of pizza from a place down the block, gino asks what i think he should do. We aint paying this cop off and we aint gonna sit still for him hurting the business and you know we dont go to the cops so? I'll get back to you but dont do anything or come here without me, i tell him. If your skipper asks, tell him you came to see the jew and you were gonna handle it.

I inform my back up team supervisor Lt L. and tell him whats going on and ask for guidance and i am instructed to go to a meeting place, one of many scattered around the city, that evening. At the meeting that night, Lt. L. is there with another of my backup team and a Lieutenant and a detective from Internal affairs division. I has been decided at upper levels that i am to wear a wire, AT THIS POINT OF MY INFILTRATION, WEARING WIRES IS USUALLY A NO NO. I am to attempt to identify this Detective while maintaining my cover as a wiseguy, attempt to engage him in conversation and try to gain incriminating evidence against him at which time Internal Affairs would build a case against this guy. Now, i am not liking this scenario at all. Tapes means testifying, means going public, publicity if this detective is arrested, people start to wonder things and next thing i am dead or my cover is blown. The IAD detective at the meet is an undercover who will be at the club as a back up and witness to any criminal proceedings, The IAD Lieutenant will be present and personally wire me along with my back up team, he has already had a serious face to face and heart to heart with my team lieutenant and understands that maintaining my cover is paramount to all else including his case.

Friday night comes, i have already told Gino i had something going without going into too much and would meet him at the club about 11PM. At 10PM i meet my team along with the IAD team and i am wired and given some marked cash in case things go in that direction. I meet Gino at the club and during the evening i see the IAD undercover playing his part and blending in nicely. Gino takes me around the club and introduces me to some of the people, both civilians and wise guys, plus the cocktail watresses and bartenders. The jew owner lets it be known that Gino and I get anything and all that we want and the bouncers are told not to interfere with us no matter what. We spend about 4 hours in this place till about 3AM and the club is emptying out and this Detective doesnt show up so I wave off the backup IAD detective, tell Gino i will see him saturday night same time and head off to meet the team and get the wire and transmitter turned off.

Saturday night, after meeting my team and the IAD team and getting wired again and cashed up, i am off to this nighclub to meet Gino and do what i do best. I had parked around the corner on a quiet side street from the club and while walking there i see Gino talking to the door bouncer and there is a line of about 20-25 people on line waiting to get in. And i see a tall, thin, irish looking redheaded guy talking to a girl near a car parked in front of the place. I easily spot the handcuffs at his rear and the snubnose revolver he was carrying crossdraw style on his belt in a holster with the butt exposed. Gino nods towards the guy indicating he is the detective we are after but i already know that and i know who, well not who but what he is. THIS GUY IS NOT A COP, OR DETECTIVE OR ANYTHING WITH THE NYPD, he is a store detective working for one of the major retail chains in the city. I recognized him from court appearances in brooklyn, i had known a girl who worked for the same retail chain who eventually did become a detective with the borough district attorneys office but not this guy. HE WAS A FAKE. A POLICE IMPERSONATOR. but now what do i do? Had he been a real cop i would have been obliged to work the case and attempt to gain evidence for his prosecution, Now that i knew he was a fake but my boss plus IAD were involved, i couldnt tell Gino to just handle it because there would have been a homocide that night on flatbush avenue. so, I go over to this guy and says, why dont you go hang out at some cops bar and quit playing the bigshot around here. You're bad for business and people are uncomfortable with you hanging around. As soon as this guy turns toward me with an attitude building on his face i punch him twice sending him flying on his back. I reach into his pants and rip the revolver and holster from his belt and throw it under the parked car he was near. He gets up and charges me but Gino is there and bumps him forward and he lands on an uppercut which actually hurt me as much as he got hurt (never hit someone with a closed fist-too many bones to break). I kick this guy multiple times, screeming at him, calling him a bum, telling him not to come back to this place. Off this guy staggers, down the block, into a car and takes off. THE WHOLE CLUB HAD EMPTIED OUT ONTO THE STREET, THE JEWISH OWNER IS TRYING TO GET EVERYONE BACK INSIDE BEFORE THE WHOLE POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOWS UP AND EVERYONE ENDS UP IN JAIL. GINO IS YELLING AT ME THAT WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE, AM I CRAZY? BEATING UP A COP? BUT the looks i was getting from the crowd was one of respect for a street guy. Gino and I both split and i tell him i will meet him for breakfast and off i go to meet my team and IAD to get rid of the transmitter and wire recorder. Long story short, IAD lieutenant at first wants to lock me up for assault, IAD back up undercover says Gino and especially I am the talk of t he club and no calls had been made to 911 and no police had responded to the scene. IAD boss is finally happy case closed, no nypd officer involved, Gino's boss is happy-no more cop troubles at the nightclub and my street credentials are more solid than ever. The following week i take Jack to this nightclub so we can party on the house and enjoy their hospitality and also enhance Jacks stature with the wiseguys hanging out there. NOTE*(to those who dont know who jack is, ya gotta read some more of my war stories.) stay safe out there guys an galz

This short story has come about after reading a news article posted on policelink the 5th of may 2013, regarding lack of mail deliveries in the brownsville section of brooklyn. After reading the article, i posted a response that part of the problem was that the brownsville neighborhood was policed by two precincts the 73rd and 75th which are in two separate divisions and borough commands, brooklyn north and south. This division of police supervision only divides the intelligence, crime stats, enforcement and politics needed to provide a safe living environment for the innocent citizens attempting to just survive in a literal jungle of animals.

Back in the day, a very long time ago, the same issues prevailed until an african american deputy inspector, the commanding officer of the 13th division had enough. It was mid-week, early summer, I had sat down for roll call with my anti crime team, six members of my anti crime team were told to gear up for a heavy confrontation and to assemble at the 73rd precinct no later that 1730 hours.

The three anti-crime team cars rolled up to the 73rd Pct about 1700 hours and the surrounding block was jammed with unmarked, civilian autos bearing nypd plates, patrol boro brooklyn north task force marked autos, tactical patrol force vehicles of all shapes and sizes, as well as numerous RMPs from each precinct within the 13th division.

At 1730 hours, over a hundred police officers were called to attention by this fine Deputy Inspector, as he stated it, we were failing, the citizenship were literally in fear of their lives, The criminal element was winning and it was unacceptable, the line had been crossed. THE GLOVES WERE BEING TAKEN OFF. THERE WAS TO BE NO QUARTER GIVEN, THE RULES AND PROCEDURES WERE OUT THE WINDOW, EITHER THE BAD GUYS WIN OR THEY DONT, THE DECISION WILL BE DECIDED THIS EVENING.

I wish i could remember most of this brave commanders speech, the gasps, snickers, right-ons, and its about times did little to calm the unofficial guidance we were being given that evening, i do distinctly remember one portion: WHEN YOU ARE DONE DOING WHAT HAS TO BE DONE, CALL IN TASK FORCE AND TACTICAL AND THEY WILL PICK UP THE BODIES.

It was a long night, a few police officers were injured, thankfully none in my team. The criminal element which had held the good citizens in fear had felt fear that night. Many would never commit crimes again, many saw long prison sentences, many just fled after seeing the full wrath of ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Unfortunately, without consistant and determined enforcement, the bad elements have a habit of creeping back and destroying the lives of the good citizens we are sworn to protect.

I was and am very proud to have been one of the many who that night, WE STOOD UP AND TOOK THE GLOVES OFF. m.